I like a lot of the standards, like Son House, Muddy Waters, and Robert Johnson, but what really gets me going is Hill Country Blues, from Northern Mississippi. People like R. L. Burnside, Junior Kimbrough, and Robert Belfour... lots of stuff from Fat Possum records. Any other fans here?

BTW, Burnside's "It's Bad You Know" was used on The Sopranos soundtrack, so you may have heard it.

I've got some Robert Johnson. I'm also partial to Leadbelly and Lightnin' Sam Hopkins.
Back in the 70's I remember going to an allnight film show that was just archive films of Blues singers performing in a studio. The films had been made by an American foundation in the 30's and 40's. It was quite amazing to actually see these guys performing. Don't know if the films are still around.
It was mainly Robert Johnson who inspired the Rolling Stones when they started out.
I have a boxed set of vinyl somewhere called 'Genesis - the birth of the Blues' with archive recordings. I'll dig it out and see what's on there.

Ah blues.. such good stuff. Electric Semi-Hollow guitars and the Mississippi Sax, can't go wrong. Oh I listen to so much... Savoy Brown in the player right now. Then it ventures off into alot of Classic Rock. Led Zeppelin, The Doors, The Who. The British were good for something. Just kidding guys

Ooh! Some tasty country blues from Texas. Good stuff. Not trying to play Mr. Expert. I'm actually rather new to the blues compared to a lot of people. But after listening to a fair amount, I do notice a difference between the various styles. Some I really like, and some doesn't do much for me.

Back in the 70's I remember going to an allnight film show that was just archive films of Blues singers performing in a studio. The films had been made by an American foundation in the 30's and 40's. It was quite amazing to actually see these guys performing. Don't know if the films are still around.

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That's really cool. I enjoy the music quite a bit, but being able to see the artists play adds a lot. I found Deep Blues and Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues  A Musical Journey rather interesting and entertaining.

It was mainly Robert Johnson who inspired the Rolling Stones when they started out.

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Yeah, I guess he was a big influence on a lot of artists. I think Eric Clapton has a whole album of Johnson covers. The Stones, U2 and others would also make pilgrimages to Junior Kimbrough's juke joint in Mississippi.

I have a boxed set of vinyl somewhere called 'Genesis - the birth of the Blues' with archive recordings. I'll dig it out and see what's on there.

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I started out with a 4-CD box set that covered a lot of different artists. It was rather hit-or-miss for me. It showed me that "the blues" covered a lot of ground, and that I would have to do some digging to find what I was really looking for in there. At one point, I came across Burnside's Come On In, and it quickly became my favorite album. It was heavily remixed, but the core of his blues was there. I grabbed some of his acoustic stuff and loved that too. After trying out some other people on the Fat Possum label, I realized that I like Country Blues the most (usually just a guy and his guitar), and especially Hill Country.

Yeah, I guess he was a big influence on a lot of artists. I think Eric Clapton has a whole album of Johnson covers. The Stones, U2 and others would also make pilgrimages to Junior Kimbrough's juke joint in Mississippi.

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A lot of British musicians in the 60's - including Slowhand - picked up their taste for the Blues from John Mayall. He had a band in the 60's called the Bluesbreakers and the line-up read like a who's who of British music. He did a lot to popularise the original Blues.
Mayall is still going - went to see him live about 3 years ago.